The impact of a health education intervention on health behaviors and mental health among Chinese college students

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of a health education intervention on health behaviors, self-efficacy, and well-being among college students. Participants: Between March and October 2016, a total of 532 undergraduates participated. Methods: A theory-based intervention was conducted at Wuhan University, China. Participants were assigned to a control or intervention group (IG). The IG attended a 7-week health education class on knowledge, attitude, and practice of health behaviors. Results: Participants in the IG, compared with those in the control group (CG), reported significantly increased prevalence of high physical activity and regular breakfast, as well as lower screen time, sugar beverage intake, and Internet addiction tendency. Furthermore, intervention students improved in health behavior scores (p = 0.040), compared with the CG, while the changes in subjective well-being and self-efficacy remained similar between the two groups. Conclusions: Health education may promote health behaviors among Chinese college students.

Keywords:

• College students
• health behaviors
• health education
• mental health

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of China and received approval from Wuhan University.